WINTER SOLSTICE

A solstice is a celestial event that takes place twice a year around June 21st and December 21st. A solstice marks
the time of year at which the sun has reached its farthest point north or south of the Earth’s equator. On June 21st
the Northern Hemisphere experiences a Summer solstice while the Southern Hemisphere experiences a Winter
solstice. On December 21st the Northern Hemisphere experiences a Winter solstice while the Southern Hemisphere
experiences a Summer solstice. Many individuals observe these events simply as a changing of the seasons and of
how much daylight there will be in the day but for many cultures the Winter and Summer solstice represents much
more than just a change of weather.

The Winter solstice is observed by a multitude of peoples around the world for various reasons. For many, the
onset of Winter represents larger themes of life, death, or rebirth and the rituals they conduct often involve fire.
Indigenous Americans have historically observed the Winter solstice as figurative representation of death and war.
They would perform a mortuary ritual at sunset on the Winter solstice and burn an intricate/symbolic building as a
way of putting the souls of their loved ones to rest. Other cultures such as the Germanic peoples have historically
observed the festival of Yule or Yuletide beginning on the Winter solstice and ending on January 1st as a means of
celebrating folklore motifs relating to hunting, death, and war. The celebration included burning a Yule log, Yule
singing, and feasting. Over time, the Germanic celebration of Yuletide has been Christianized and has become
what is known as Christmastide (Christmas Time) which no longer begins on the Winter solstice but over the
course of December 25th - January 5th.

The Winter solstice is also referred to as: Celebrations during the Winter solstice:
● Midwinter ● Yule / Jól / Yuletide (Germanic peoples)
● Extreme of Winter ● Soyal (Hopi Indians)
● The Longest Night ● Yalda (Persia)
● The Shortest Day ● Inti Raymi (Peru)
● Saturnalia (Ancient Rome)
● St. Lucia’s Day (Scandinavia)
● Dong Zhi (China)